Set and
adjust bids

How to determine bids in your
ad groups

If you choose the Manage Bids strategy, you’ll add a default maximum bid when you create ad groups. You can choose between a maximum cost-per-tap (max CPT) bid or a maximum cost-per-thousand-impressions (max CPM) bid. A max CPT bid is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for an individual tap on your ad, and a max CPM bid is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for 1,000 impressions. For example, if your campaign has a $500 budget and you get 100,000 impressions, your CPM is $5. That means you’re paying $5 for every 1,000 times someone sees your ad. Your default max CPT or CPM bid applies across all keywords in your ad group unless you specify a max bid at the keyword level.

If you choose the Maximize Engagements strategy, the auto-bidder will automatically set optimal bids designed to get you the most taps within your budget. This strategy uses the CPT pricing model, so you’ll only pay when someone taps on your ad. Maximize Engagements is required if you choose to advertise on all ad placements.

For both bid strategies, you’ll only pay if your ad is the one selected for display and if the defined action (currently a tap or impression) occurs. If you have a max CPT or CPM bid, it acts as a price ceiling which means you won’t pay more than that amount, and the actual price you end up paying may be less than your max CPT or CPM bid amount. That price is generally determined through Apple Ads’ dynamic pricing mechanism, which takes into account various factors such as advertising relevance, your bids, other advertisers’ bids, the overall user experience, the presence of a reserve price in a particular auction, and other elements.

How to change an ad group-level bid

  1. Go to the Ad Groups dashboard and find the ad group with the bid that you want to change.
  2. Click the amount in the Max CPT Bid or Max CPM Bid column.
  3. Enter your new amount in the highlighted field. Your new bid amount must be less than your daily budget.
  4. Click the check mark to confirm.

You can also edit bids for several ad groups at once. Select the checkboxes next to the ad groups that you want to edit, click Edit in the toolbar, and choose Bid. You’ll be able to either enter a new bid amount for all of the selected ad groups, or increase or decrease the bid by a specific amount or percent.

When you make an update to your bid at the ad group level, it may take some time for it to take effect.

How to change a keyword-level bid

  1. Go to the Keywords dashboard and find the keyword with the bid that you want to change.
  2. Click the amount in the Max CPT Bid or Max CPM Bid column.
  3. Enter your new amount in the highlighted field. Your new bid amount must be less than your daily budget.
  4. Click the check mark to confirm.

You can also edit bids for several keywords at once. Select the checkboxes next to the keywords that you want to edit and click Edit Bid in the toolbar. You’ll be able to either enter a new bid amount for all of the selected keywords, or increase or decrease the bid by a specific amount or percent.

When you make an update to your bid at the keyword level, it may take some time for it to take effect.